


Aftermath

by bollywoodbabe



Category: How to Get Away with Murder
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Could be a 3x15 coda, Established Relationship, M/M, Nightmare, fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-21
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-11-03 03:16:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10958520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bollywoodbabe/pseuds/bollywoodbabe
Summary: Oliver and Connor are trying to have some semblance of normalcy, but it's never been that easy for them.





	Aftermath

Oliver sighed as he struggled to get comfortable on the couch. The thin blanket he had grabbed on his way out from the bedroom was not warm enough. But he stubbornly refused to go back into the bedroom to get another one.

He was upset, but more at himself for letting his temper get the best of him tonight. Maybe he was finally ready to admit that he was hurt. Not hurt by tonight's fight, but by Connor's rejection of his proposal. They had both talked about it the next morning calmly and rationally, and agreed that it wasn't the right time to take the next step when they were already on such rocky territory. So it wasn't technically a "rejection," Oliver reminded himself for the millionth time. But it sure as hell felt like one.

It had been six weeks since that talk, and they had been doing fine. They were getting back into their normal routine and getting used to living together again. Oliver suggested that they have monthly "check-ins" to lay out any problems and to get on track to being completely honest with each other. Connor had readily agreed, and things seemed to be improving. Tonight had been a different story.

*5 hours ago*

"Hey, do you want to open a bottle of wine?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about that. Let's try the one my we got from the winery last weekend?" Connor said.

"Sure, sounds good to me." Oliver smiled. This was their normal Friday night routine. Oliver trying out some new recipe, Connor puttering around in the kitchen alongside him and a bottle of wine to go with whatever show they were currently binge watching.

They ate mostly in silence, and did the dishes side by side. It was an unseasonably warm night, so they went on a long walk downtown.

"Look, it's that new gelato place!" Oliver exclaimed, poking Connor.

"Ouch, and yes it is. Let's grab some," Connor said.

They stood in line when Oliver spotted a young couple a few spots ahead of them. The couple was beaming at each other, and Oliver noticed an engagement ring on the girl's finger. Sadness washed over him. He had been suppressing any upset or hurt feelings about the proposal since he knew in his head that they weren't fair. He even knew that the timing of his proposal hadn't exactly been great, but he couldn't help how he felt.

"...and then I decided not to even try to work that case anymore. Someone else can take care of it. Ollie? You listening?"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry," Oliver stammered out. "Just zoned out for a second." Connor gave him a look that signaled his disbelief, but dropped it. They shared a small cup of chocolate and headed home.

"My mom was asking if you were going to come to the anniversary party when she called me today," Oliver said, breaking the silence between them on the walk back. "She wants to know soon so she can work out the seating chart."

"I told you I won't know for sure until the end of next week," Connor said with a bite in his voice. He sensed Oliver's hurt at his tone so he quickly added, "I'll probably be able to come though."

"That's what you said last time." Oliver said quietly.

Connor flinched at the reminder. Yeah, he had flaked on meeting Oliver's family once already. And he had owned up to it enough times. "You know I wasn't ready back then. I'm a different person now, how many times do I have to prove myself to you?" Connor's voice was loud when he finished talking, and they drew a few stares from the people who were waiting at the crosswalk with them.

"Forget I said anything," Oliver snapped. They were almost home, and Connor wanted to cry at the drastic change in mood.

Once they were back in the apartment, Connor spoke first, "Uh, look, I'm sorry for getting defensive. I'm just embarrassed, I guess."

"It's okay," Oliver said in a tone that sounded everything but okay.

"Okay," Connor repeated back. He ran his hand through his hair and rubbed his neck. "So what do you wanna watch tonight? Movie or show?"

"I don't really feel like watching anything tonight. I might just read my book for a bit and go to bed," Oliver said as he started towards the bedroom.

"Wow, seriously?" Connor muttered under his breath.

At that, Oliver turned around. "What?"

"You're going to let a little spat ruin our whole night off? I'm telling you the truth, Ollie, I really won't know until the end of the week!"

"Sorry if that's a little hard for me to believe," Oliver shot back, raising his voice for the first time the whole night.

"What's wrong with you? Why wouldn't I want to come to Texas? I don't want to stay here by myself for a week and work. I want to come with you and meet your parents and brother. I don't understand why you're acting like this!" Connor said, throwing his hands up in the air.

"We've been together for over a year, and you haven't met my parents. I've come to Michigan with you three times already. How am I supposed to feel, Connor?"

"You know what, I don't even care anymore," Connor spat out. "I've been trying so hard to make you happy since things settled down but it's like you're not even in this relationship anymore," Connor stormed past Oliver into the bathroom, leaving Oliver stunned.

Once Connor came out from his shower, he was surprised to see Oliver sleeping on the couch. He went back into the bathroom to finish up his nightly routine, and turned off all the lights before climbing into bed. From on the couch, Oliver tried to stay as still as possible.

*Present*

Oliver turned again. And again. This couch was just so damn uncomfortable, and he felt bad when he remembered the few nights Connor had spent on it after Oliver broke up with him. He sighed and considered going to the gym to blow off steam since he clearly wasn't going to fall asleep anytime soon. He was starting to plan out his workout, but he decided against it because the thought of Connor waking up to find Oliver gone in the middle of the night upset him. Oliver knew he was in the wrong, and he didn't want to make it worse.

The sound of a muffled scream startled Oliver. He knew Connor was fast asleep since he had been hearing deep breathing for at least two hours. That was Connor's tell. He stilled, straining his neck so he could hear better. Soon enough, another sound of anguish. This time, Oliver sat up. The sound was coming from the bedroom, and he frowned as he realized Connor was probably having a nightmare.

Connor used to have a lot of night terrors when they first got back together, but he had slowly stopped having them altogether. In fact, the last one he had was months ago. Oliver swung his feet down to the ground, still unsure of what he was going to do. After he heard Connor again, he found himself running to the bedroom. He found Connor sitting straight up, looking utterly confused.

Oliver turned on the bedside lamp on his side. "What happened?" Connor asked weakly.

"Um, I think you had a nightmare," Oliver whispered. He sat down gingerly beside Connor and put his hand on the small of Connor's back.

"Ah, that explains why I feel like shit," Connor grimanced.

"Yeah. I'm going to get you a glass of water," Oliver said as he started to get up.

"It's okay," Connor grabbed his arm. "I'm fine. I'm just going to go back to sleep." He yawned, and laid back down.

"Oh, okay," Oliver said, feeling more awkward than he ever had in front of Connor. He got up again and saw a flash of disappointment on Connor's face. He went to the sofa, grabbed his pillow and came back to the bed. He put his pillow down on his side and climbed in next to Connor. Connor was facing away from him, but he felt the bed dip with Oliver's weight behind him. He felt Oliver's hand gently wrap around his waist.

"I'm sorry, Connor," Oliver whispered into his ear.

Connor slowly turned to face Oliver. It was dark, but he could make out that Oliver's eyes were glossy and his face was apologetic.

"I'm sorry too."

**Author's Note:**

> My first Coliver fic! Any comments would be appreciated!


End file.
